56 ' MA.INE STATE SOCIETY. 



diftcrcnt propositions, a keeness of perception in analogous in- 

 stances, a hopeful yet at the same time prudent reliance on ex- 

 perience and deduction, and a prompt seizure of every means 

 of improvement which they may disclose — all of "uliich result 

 in a great measure from a proper culture of the mind, arc es- 

 sential to the highest success in farming as they are in every 

 other vocation of life. Leaving out the learned professions 

 "which necessarily require the keenest intellectual development, 

 the duties of a successful farmer demand as high an order of 

 mind as those of any other occupation. A dunce will prosper 

 no better in this sphere than in any other ; the whole history 

 of the science declares it ; every advancement is an acknowl- 

 edgment of it. And no where else is it more plainly apparent 

 that such qualifications are necessary and advantageous than in 

 horticultural pursuits. The great increase in tlic interest and 

 success with which this department is managed furnishes most 

 cheering evidence of the fact. It was once deemed almost im- 

 possible for a person of a ripe age to enjoy tlie fruits of an 

 orchard which he had himself planted. But now, through the 

 careful and thoughtful attention paid to the result of varied 

 experiences; occasioned by the publication of horticultural infor- 

 mation, an orchard may be made productive in a very few years, 

 and remunerative in less time than was formerly required for 

 even an earnest of future excellence. By the process of graft- 

 ing, and through tlie application of proper remedies to destroy 

 the vermin which infest the trees, orchards may now become a 

 permanent and reliable source of profit. 



Again ; an almost incredible change ]ias been effected in tlie 

 value and usefulness of live stock by a mare general and watch- 

 ful attention to tlicir food and shelter. A generous rivalry in 

 this particular seems to animate all classes of farmers, and we 

 may anticipate as the result of it, an improvement in tlic 

 strength, endurance and general character of breeds which will 

 place them on an equality with tlic far famed English varieties. 

 The capabilities of our soil and climate in this particular have 

 never been fully tested. What a quickened and healthy activity 

 of thought may yet accomplish, in this and every other branch 

 of a farmer's education, we hope soon to know. Certainly tlic 

 first evidences are most encouraging. Every exertion ought 



